Antibacterial and antifungal polyester laminated structure

ABSTRACT

An antibacterial and antifungal polyester laminated structure is provided, and includes a main structure support layer and an antibacterial and antifungal functional layer. The main structure support layer is formed of a polyester material, and the main structure support layer enables the polyester laminated structure to have an impact-resistant strength of not less than 20 kg-cm/cm. The antibacterial and antifungal functional layer is formed of an antibacterial and antifungal polyester material, and the antibacterial and antifungal polyester material includes an antibacterial and antifungal additive. The antibacterial and antifungal additive includes a plurality of glass beads that are dispersed in the antibacterial and antifungal functional layer. A plurality of silver nanoparticles are distributed on an outer surface of each of the glass beads, and the antibacterial and antifungal additive enables the antibacterial and antifungal functional layer to have antibacterial and antifungal capabilities.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority to Taiwan PatentApplication No. 110123917, filed on Jun. 30, 2021. The entire content ofthe above identified application is incorporated herein by reference.

Some references, which may include patents, patent applications andvarious publications, may be cited and discussed in the description ofthis disclosure. The citation and/or discussion of such references isprovided merely to clarify the description of the present disclosure andis not an admission that any such reference is “prior art” to thedisclosure described herein. All references cited and discussed in thisspecification are incorporated herein by reference in their entiretiesand to the same extent as if each reference was individuallyincorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a laminated structure, and moreparticularly to an antibacterial and antifungal polyester laminatedstructure.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Based on market demands, products such as luggage cases, food trays, andfreezer trays have begun to require antibacterial and antifungalcapabilities. To enable a surface of a material to have antibacterialand antifungal capabilities, most of conventional technologies areimplemented by using a coating method or a spraying method. Although theuse of these methods can enable the surface of the material to haveantibacterial and antifungal capabilities, the antibacterial andantifungal effect on the surface of these materials cannot be maintainedfor a desired period of time. Furthermore, the types of bacteriacorrespondingly affected by the antibacterial and antifungal effect onthe surface of these materials are limited.

In addition, the conventional technologies also use a sheet material(i.e., ABS, PC, PP and other sheets) that has a film material havingantibacterial and antifungal capabilities attached thereon. However, theuse of attaching methods such as adhesion will result in a high materialcost, and since the laminated structure is not composed of a singlematerial, inconveniences when recycling materials of the laminatedstructure can be caused.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In response to the above-referenced technical inadequacies, the presentdisclosure provides an antibacterial and antifungal polyester laminatedstructure.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an antibacterial andantifungal polyester laminated structure, including: a main structuresupport layer and two antibacterial and antifungal functional layers.The main structure support layer has two side surfaces opposite to eachother. The main structure support layer is formed of an impact-resistantpolyester material, and the main structure support layer enables thepolyester laminated structure to have an impact-resistant strength ofnot less than 20 kg-cm/cm. The two antibacterial and antifungalfunctional layers are respectively formed on the two side surfaces ofthe main structure support layer. Each of the antibacterial andantifungal functional layers is formed of an antibacterial andantifungal polyester material, the antibacterial and antifungalpolyester material includes an antibacterial and antifungal additive,and the antibacterial and antifungal additive includes a plurality ofglass beads. The plurality of glass beads are dispersed in theantibacterial and antifungal functional layers, a plurality of silvernanoparticles are distributed on an outer surface of each of the glassbeads, and the antibacterial and antifungal additive enables each of theantibacterial and antifungal functional layers to have antibacterial andantifungal capabilities.

In certain embodiments, the main structure support layer and the twoantibacterial and antifungal functional layers are formed into anantibacterial and antifungal polyester sheet material with a sandwichstructure by co-extrusion. A thickness of the main structure supportlayer is greater than a thickness of each of the antibacterial andantifungal functional layers, the thickness of the main structuresupport layer is between 80 μm and 4,000 μm, and the thickness of eachof the antibacterial and antifungal functional layers is between 10 μmand 200 μm.

In certain embodiments, in the main structure support layer, theimpact-resistant polyester material includes: a polyester resin matrixmaterial, a toughening agent, and a compatibilizing agent. Thetoughening agent is dispersed in the polyester resin matrix material; inwhich the toughening agent is a polyolefin elastomer (POE). Thecompatibilizing agent is dispersed in the polyester resin matrixmaterial; in which the compatibilizing agent is configured to assist inimproving a compatibility between the toughening agent and the polyesterresin matrix material. The compatibilizing agent is configured to assistthe toughening agent to be dispersed into the polyester resin matrixmaterial with a particle size between 0.5 μm and 1.5 μm, so that theimpact-resistant polyester material has the impact-resistant strength ofnot less than 20 kg-cm/cm.

In certain embodiments, in the main structure support layer, thecompatibilizing agent is at least one of a polyolefin elastomer graftedwith glycidyl methacrylate (POE-g-GMA) and a polyolefin elastomergrafted with maleic anhydride (POE-g-MAH).

In certain embodiments, based on a total weight of the impact-resistantpolyester material being 100 wt %, a content of the polyester resinmatrix material is between 70 wt % to 95 wt %, a content of thetoughening agent is between 5 wt % and 15 wt %, and a content of thecompatibilizing agent is between 2 wt % and 15 wt %. The content of thetoughening agent is not less than the content of the compatibilizingagent, and a weight ratio of the toughening agent relative to thecompatibilizing agent ranges from 1:1 to 4:1.

In certain embodiments, a molecular structure of the toughening agent isall polyolefin elastomer (POE), the compatibilizing agent is apolyolefin elastomer grafted with glycidyl methacrylate (POE-g-GMA), amolecular structure of the compatibilizing agent has a main chain and aside chain melt-grafted with the main chain, the main chain is thepolyolefin elastomer (POE), and the side chain is the glycidylmethacrylate (GMA). The glycidyl methacrylate can produce a ring-openingreaction during a mixing process, and an epoxy group in the glycidylmethacrylate can chemically react with an ester group in a molecularstructure of the polyester resin matrix material after the ring-openingreaction.

In certain embodiments, in each of the antibacterial and antifungalfunctional layers, the antibacterial and antifungal polyester materialfurther includes: a polyester resin substrate material and a pluralityof functional polyester masterbatches. The plurality of functionalpolyester masterbatches are dispersed in the polyester resin substratematerial by means of melt extrusion molding. Each of the functionalpolyester masterbatches includes a polyester resin matrix and theantibacterial and antifungal additive, and the plurality of glass beadsof the antibacterial and antifungal additive are dispersed in thepolyester resin matrix.

In certain embodiments, based on a total weight of the antibacterial andantifungal polyester material being 100 wt %, a content of the polyesterresin substrate material is between 80 wt % and 98 wt %, and a contentof the plurality of functional polyester masterbatches is between 2 wt %and 20 wt %. In each of the functional polyester masterbatches, a weightratio of the polyester resin matrix relative to the antibacterial andantifungal additive ranges from 70 to 99: 1 to 30.

In certain embodiments, the antibacterial and antifungal polyesterlaminated structure is capable of being formed into an extendedpolyester material through an extension molding process. In each of theantibacterial and antifungal functional layers, at least part of theplurality of glass beads are distributed on a surface portion of theantibacterial and antifungal functional layer, so that at least part ofthe plurality of silver nanoparticles are exposed to an outsideenvironment, and accordingly the antibacterial and antifungal functionallayer can have antibacterial and antifungal capabilities.

In certain embodiments, the polyester resin substrate material ispolyethylene terephthalate, and in each of the functional polyestermasterbatches, the polyester resin matrix is polyethylene terephthalate.The polyester resin substrate material has a first refractive index, thepolyester resin matrix has a second refractive index, and each of theglass beads has a third refractive index. The first refractive index isbetween 1.55 and 1.60, the second refractive index is between 95% and105% of the first refractive index, and the third refractive index isbetween 95% and 105% of the first refractive index.

In certain embodiments, in each of the glass beads, a matrix material ofthe glass bead is soluble glass powders, a particle size of the glassbead is not greater than 10 μm, a density of the glass bead is between 2g/cm³ and 3 g/cm³, and a heat-resistant temperature of the glass beadsis not less than 500° C.

In certain embodiments, in each of the glass beads, the antibacterialand antifungal additive has an antibacterial ability against thefollowing types of bacteria, including: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcusaureus, Pneumoniae bacillus, Salmonella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, anddrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The antibacterial and antifungaladditive has an antifungal ability against the following types offungus, including: Aspergillus niger, Penicillium tetrapine, Chaetomiumglobosum, Gliocladium virens, and Aureobasidium pullulans.

In certain embodiments, a matrix material of the main structure supportlayer is polyethylene terephthalate, and a matrix material of each ofthe antibacterial and antifungal functional layers is polyethyleneterephthalate.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides an antibacterial andantifungal polyester laminated structure that includes a main structuresupport layer and an antibacterial and antifungal functional layer. Themain structure support layer has two side surfaces opposite to eachother. The main structure support layer is formed of an impact-resistantpolyester material, and the main structure support layer enables thepolyester laminated structure to have an impact-resistant strength ofnot less than 20 kg-cm/cm. The antibacterial and antifungal functionallayer is formed on one of the two side surfaces of the main structuresupport layer. The antibacterial and antifungal functional layer isformed of an antibacterial and antifungal polyester material, theantibacterial and antifungal polyester material includes anantibacterial and antifungal additive, and the antibacterial andantifungal additive includes a plurality of glass beads. The pluralityof glass beads are dispersed in the antibacterial and antifungalfunctional layer, a plurality of silver nanoparticles are distributed onan outer surface of each of the glass beads, and the antibacterial andantifungal additive enables the antibacterial and antifungal functionallayer to have antibacterial and antifungal capabilities.

Therefore, the antibacterial and antifungal polyester laminatedstructure of the present disclosure can be applied to products withrequirements for antibacterial, antifungal and impact resistancecapabilities, such as luggage cases, food trays, and freezer trays, andso on, by virtue of “the surface layer of the polyester laminatedstructure being an antibacterial and antifungal functional layer withantibacterial and antifungal capabilities, and the inner layer of thepolyester laminated structure being a main structure support layer withsupporting ability” and “the main structure support layer being formedof an impact-resistant polyester material, and the main structuresupport layer enabling an entirety of the polyester laminated structureto have an impact-resistant strength of not less than 20 kg-cm/cm” and“each of the antibacterial and antifungal functional layers being formedof an antibacterial and antifungal polyester material, and theantibacterial and antifungal polyester material enabling the surfacelayer of the polyester laminated structure to have the capabilities ofantibacterial and antifungal”.

These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparentfrom the following description of the embodiment taken in conjunctionwith the following drawings and their captions, although variations andmodifications therein may be affected without departing from the spiritand scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The described embodiments may be better understood by reference to thefollowing description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an antibacterial and antifungal polyesterlaminated structure according to a first embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view of region II in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged view of region III in FIG. 1 ; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an antibacterial and antifungal polyesterlaminated structure according to a second embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure is more particularly described in the followingexamples that are intended as illustrative only since numerousmodifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilledin the art. Like numbers in the drawings indicate like componentsthroughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughoutthe claims that follow, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise,the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural reference, and themeaning of “in” includes “in” and “on”. Titles or subtitles can be usedherein for the convenience of a reader, which shall have no influence onthe scope of the present disclosure.

The terms used herein generally have their ordinary meanings in the art.In the case of conflict, the present document, including any definitionsgiven herein, will prevail. The same thing can be expressed in more thanone way. Alternative language and synonyms can be used for any term(s)discussed herein, and no special significance is to be placed uponwhether a term is elaborated or discussed herein. A recital of one ormore synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use ofexamples anywhere in this specification including examples of any termsis illustrative only, and in no way limits the scope and meaning of thepresent disclosure or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the presentdisclosure is not limited to various embodiments given herein. Numberingterms such as “first”, “second” or “third” can be used to describevarious components, signals or the like, which are for distinguishingone component/signal from another one only, and are not intended to, norshould be construed to impose any substantive limitations on thecomponents, signals or the like.

First Embodiment

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 , a first embodiment of the presentdisclosure provides an antibacterial and antifungal polyester laminatedstructure E. The antibacterial and antifungal polyester laminatestructure E can be, for example, a sandwich structure (A-B-A) formed bya co-extrusion process.

One of the objectives of the present disclosure is that two surfacelayers of the sandwich structure are both antibacterial and antifungalfunctional layers A having antibacterial and antifungal capabilities,and a middle layer of the sandwich structure is a main structure supportlayer B having a supporting capability. Furthermore, the antibacterialand antifungal polyester laminated structure E can be directly applied,or can be formed into an extended polyester sheet material through avacuum forming process or a blister molding process.

One of the objectives of the present disclosure is that a matrixmaterial of each layer of the antibacterial and antifungal polyesterlaminated structure E is a polyester material, such as PET. That is, thematrix materials of all layers of the antibacterial and antifungalpolyester laminated structure E are the same material. Accordingly, theantibacterial and antifungal polyester laminated structure E can beeasily recycled and discarded. In addition, the antibacterial andantifungal polyester laminated structure E has antibacterial andantifungal capabilities, and has high impact resistance. Therefore, theantibacterial and antifungal polyester laminated structure E can beapplied to products with requirements of antibacterial, antifungal andimpact resistance. For example, the antibacterial and antifungalpolyester laminated structure E can be applied to the products such asluggage, food plate, freezer plate, and so on.

Reference is further made to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 , more specifically, theantibacterial and antifungal polyester laminated structure E includes amain structure support layer B and two antibacterial and antifungalfunctional layers A. The main structure support layer B has two sidesurfaces opposite to each other (not labeled in the drawings), and thetwo antibacterial and antifungal functional layers A are respectivelyformed on the two side surfaces of the main structure support layer B.

The main structure support layer B is formed of an impact-resistantpolyester material 100, and the main structure support layer B enablesan entirety of the polyester laminated structure to have animpact-resistant strength of not less than 20 kg-cm/cm. In addition,each of the antibacterial and antifungal functional layers A is formedof an antibacterial and antifungal polyester material 200, and theantibacterial and antifungal polyester material 200 enables the twosurface layers of the polyester laminated structure E to haveantibacterial and antifungal capabilities.

In terms of thickness range, a thickness of the main structure supportlayer B is greater than a thickness of each of the antibacterial andantifungal functional layers A, the thickness of the main structuresupport layer B is between 80 μm and 4000 μm, and the thickness of eachof the antibacterial and antifungal functional layers A is between 10 μmand 200 μm. From another perspective, the thickness of the mainstructure support layer B is between 2 times to 400 times the thicknessof each of the antibacterial and antifungal functional layers A, but thepresent disclosure is not limited thereto. Material characteristics ofthe impact-resistant polyester material 100 of the main structuresupport layer B and material characteristics of the antibacterial andantifungal polyester material 200 of the antibacterial and antifungalfunctional layer A will be described in detail as follows.

Impact-Resistant Polyester Material

Referring to FIG. 2 , the impact-resistant polyester material 100 of themain structure support layer B includes a polyester resin matrixmaterial 101, a toughening agent 102 (or impact-resistant modifier), anda compatibilizing agent (not labeled in the drawings).

One of the objectives of the present disclosure is to improve thecompatibility between the toughening agent 102 and the polyester resinmatrix material 101 and to improve the dispersibility of the tougheningagent 102 in the polyester resin matrix material 101. Therefore, theimpact-resistant polyester material 100 of the present embodiment canhave relatively high impact-resistant strength. For example, animpact-resistant strength of a general polyester material is not greaterthan 5 kg-cm/cm. On the other hand, an impact-resistant strength of theimpact-resistant polyester material 100 of the present embodiment can begreatly increased to not less than 20 kg-cm/cm, and preferably between28 kg-cm/cm and 50 kg-cm/cm.

In the present embodiment, the polyester resin matrix material 101 isthe matrix material of the impact-resistant polyester material 100. Thepolyester resin matrix material 101 is a high molecular weight polymerobtained by a condensation polymerization reaction of a dibasic acid anda diol or its derivatives. In other words, the polyester resin matrixmaterial 101 is a polyester material. Preferably, the polyester materialis polyethylene terephthalate (PET), but the present disclosure is notlimited thereto.

In terms of content, based on a total weight of the impact-resistantpolyester material 100, a content of the polyester resin matrix material101 is preferably between 70 wt % and 95 wt %, and more preferablybetween 70 wt % and 90 wt %. It should be noted that the term “substratematerial” or “matrix material” as used herein refers to a material whosecontent occupies at least half of a composition.

Referring to FIG. 2 again, in order to enable the impact-resistantpolyester material 100 to have a high impact resistance, the tougheningagent 102 (also known as impact-resistant modifier) is added into theimpact-resistant polyester material 100, and the toughening agent 102 isdispersed in the polyester resin matrix material 101. In terms ofmaterial types, the toughening agent is polyolefin elastomer (POE),which is also known as polyolefin thermoplastic elastomer. Thetoughening agent 102 dispersed in the polyester resin matrix material101 can be used to improve the impact-resistant strength of theimpact-resistant polyester material 100.

In terms of content, based on the total weight of the impact-resistantpolyester material 100, a content of the toughening agent 102 ispreferably between 5 wt % and 15 wt %, and more preferably between 7 wt% and 10 wt %.

According to the above-mentioned configuration, the impact-resistantpolyester material 100 can have high impact resistance through theaddition of the toughening agent 102. If the content of the tougheningagent 102 is less than the lower limit of the above-mentioned content,the impact-resistant polyester material 100 will not have sufficientimpact-resistant strength and cannot be applied to the products thatrequire high impact resistance. Conversely, if the content of thetoughening agent 102 is greater than the upper limit of theabove-mentioned content, the toughening agent 102 will not be uniformlydispersed in the polyester resin matrix material 101, such thataggregation or precipitation of the toughening agent 102 occurs in thepolyester resin matrix material 101, thereby affecting a formation of afinal product, and affecting a performance of the impact-resistantstrength.

From another perspective, one of the objectives of the presentdisclosure is to improve the impact-resistant strength of polyestermaterials, so that the polyester materials can have highimpact-resistant strength, high rigidity, and low material cost at thesame time. In order to achieve the foregoing objective, theimpact-resistant polyester material 100 of the present embodiment usespolyolefin elastomer (POE) as a toughening agent (also known asimpact-resistant modifier).

Compared with acrylic elastomer or polyester elastomer, the polyolefinelastomer (POE) has a better intrinsic toughness and a lower materialprice.

Therefore, adopting the polyolefin elastomer to improve theimpact-resistant strength of the polyester materials has considerableadvantages. However, the compatibility between the polyolefin elastomerand the polyester material is poor. When only the polyolefin elastomeris directly mixed with the polyester material by an additivemodification method, the polyolefin elastomer is easy to agglomerate,and the impact-resistant strength of the polyester material cannot besignificantly improved.

Accordingly, one of the features of the present disclosure is to adjusta dispersed particle size of the polyolefin elastomer in the polyestermaterial to be between 0.5 μm and 1.5 μm, and preferably between 0.5 μmand 1.2 μm by virtue of the compatibility modification, viscositymatching, and kneading dispersion technology between the polyolefinelastomer and the polyester material. Within the dispersed particlesize, the impact-resistant polyester material 100 of the presentembodiment can achieve high impact resistance characteristics.

More specifically, the compatibilizing agent (not shown in the drawings)is dispersed in the polyester resin matrix material 101. Thecompatibilizing agent is configured to assist in improving acompatibility between the toughening agent 102 and the polyester resinmatrix material 101.

In terms of material types, the compatibilizing agent is a polyolefinelastomer compatibilizing agent. In particular, the compatibilizingagent is at least one of a polyolefin elastomer grafted with glycidylmethacrylate (POE-g-GMA) and a polyolefin elastomer grafted with maleicanhydride (POE-g-MAH). Preferably, the compatibilizing agent is thepolyolefin elastomer grafted with glycidyl methacrylate (POE-g-GMA).

Furthermore, the compatibilizing agent is configured to assist thetoughening agent 102 to be dispersed into the polyester resin matrixmaterial 101 with a particle size between 0.5 μm and 1.5 μm, so that theimpact-resistant polyester material 100 has an impact-resistant strengthof not less than 20 kg-cm/cm. In other words, the compatibilizing agentcan effectively improve the compatibility and dispersibility of thetoughening agent 102 in the polyester resin matrix material 101, so thatthe toughening agent 102 can be dispersed into the polyester resinmatrix material 101 with a smaller particle size, and is less likely toagglomerate.

In a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the tougheningagent 102 is dispersed into the polyester resin matrix material 101 witha particle size of between 0.5 μm and 1.2 μm, and the impact-resistantpolyester material 100 has the impact-resistant strength between 28kg-cm/cm and 50 kg-cm/cm, and more preferably between 30 kg-cm/cm and 45kg-cm/cm.

In terms of content, based on the total weight of the impact-resistantpolyester material 100, a content of the compatibilizing agent ispreferably between 2 wt % and 15 wt %, and more preferably between 2 wt% and 5 wt %.

According to the above configuration, the compatibilizing agent caneffectively assist the toughening agent 102 to be dispersed into thepolyester resin matrix material 101 with a smaller particle size. If thecontent of the compatibilizing agent is lower than the lower limit ofthe above-mentioned content, the compatibilizing agent cannot properlyassist the toughening agent 102 to be dispersed to the polyester resinmatrix material 101 with a smaller particle size. Therefore, theauxiliary effect provided by the compatibilizing agent is poor.Conversely, if the content of the compatibilizing agent is higher thanthe upper limit of the above-mentioned content, the compatibilizingagent may affect the formability of the polyester material.

Furthermore, the content of the toughening agent 102 and the content ofthe compatibilizing agent have a matching relationship there-between.Specifically, the content of the toughening agent 102 is not less thanthe content of the compatibilizing agent. Furthermore, a weight ratiorange between the toughening agent 102 and the compatibilizing agent ispreferably between 1:1 and 4:1, and more preferably between 1:1 and 2:1.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a molecular structure of thetoughening agent is entirely polyolefin elastomer (POE). A molecularstructure of the compatibilizing agent has a main chain and a sidechain, and the main chain is a polyolefin elastomer (POE). Therefore,the compatibilizing agent can have excellent compatibility with thetoughening agent 102 through the main chain thereof having the samemolecular structure as that of the toughening agent.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the compatibilizing agent isfurther defined as a polyolefin elastomer grafted with glycidylmethacrylate (POE-g-GMA). A molecular structure of the compatibilizingagent has a main chain and a side chain melt-grafted with the mainchain, the main chain is the polyolefin elastomer (POE), and the sidechain is the glycidyl methacrylate (GMA).

The glycidyl methacrylate can produce a ring-opening reaction during amixing process, and an epoxy group in the glycidyl methacrylate canchemically react with an ester group in a molecular structure of thepolyester resin matrix material after the ring-opening reaction, so thatthe toughening agent 102 is more uniformly dispersed in the polyesterresin matrix material 101.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to improve thedispersibility of the toughening agent 102 (POE) in the polyester resinmatrix material 101, the impact-resistant polyester material 100 may beformed into polyester masterbatches by extrusion granulation, so thatthe toughening agent 102 is dispersed in the polyester material for afirst time. The polyester masterbatches are then molded into a moldedproduct such as an injection part or an extruded part by injectionmolding or extrusion molding, so that the toughening agent 102 isdispersed in the polyester material for a second time.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to improve thedispersibility and compatibility of the toughening agent 102 (POE) inthe polyester resin matrix material 101, a melt flow index of thepolyester resin matrix material 101 and a melt flow index of thetoughening agent 102 have a matching relationship there-between.

Specifically, the polyester resin matrix material 101 (PET) has a firstmelt flow index, and the toughening agent 102 (POE) has a second meltflow index. The first melt flow index of the polyester resin matrixmaterial 101 is between 55 g/10 mins. and 65 g/10 mins, and the secondmelt flow index of the toughening agent 102 is between 75% and 125%, andpreferably between 80% and 120% of the first melt flow index of thepolyester resin matrix material 101. For example, the first melt flowindex of the polyester resin matrix material 101 is substantially 60g/10 mins, and the second melt flow index of the toughening agent 102(POE) is substantially 50 g/10 mins.

It should be noted that the term “melt flow index (MI)” referred toherein can also be referred to as a melt flow rate (MFR). The melt flowindex refers to a weight of the polymer melt that passes through thestandard die (2.095 mm) every ten minutes at a certain temperature and acertain load.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the polyester resin matrixmaterial 101 is a continuous phase, and the toughening agent 102 is adispersed phase dispersed in the continuous phase. The dispersed phaseand the continuous phase interact with each other, so that an islandstructure is formed on a material surface of the impact-resistantpolyester material.

It is worth mentioning that the above-mentioned “island structure”refers to a poor compatibility between two high molecular weightpolymers (i.e., the polyester resin matrix material 101 and thetoughening agent 102). After the two high molecular weight polymers areblended with each other, a heterogeneous system is formed. The dispersedphase is dispersed in the continuous phase, similar to the way that agroup of small islands are dispersed in the ocean. By using a mechanismof a two-phase interaction of the sea-island structure, a performance ofa polymer can be improved.

Antibacterial and Antifungal Polyester Material

Referring to FIG. 3 , in each of the antibacterial and antifungalfunctional layers A, the antibacterial and antifungal polyester material200 has good antibacterial and antifungal capabilities. Theantibacterial and antifungal polyester material 200 can still maintain acertain antibacterial and antifungal effect after being used for aperiod of time. In addition, the antibacterial and antifungalcapabilities of the antibacterial and antifungal polyester material 200can correspond to more types of bacteria and fungus.

To achieve the above purpose, the antibacterial and antifungal polyestermaterial 200 of the present embodiment includes a polyester resinsubstrate material 201 and a plurality of functional polyestermasterbatches 202. The plurality of functional polyester masterbatches202 are dispersed in the polyester resin substrate material 201 by meansof melt extrusion molding. The antibacterial and antifungal polyestermaterial 200 of the present embodiment can have the capabilities ofantibacterial and antifungal by introducing the functional polyestermasterbatches 202 therein.

More specifically, each of the functional polyester masterbatches 202includes: a polyester resin matrix 2021 and an antibacterial andantifungal additive 2022. The antibacterial and antifungal additive 2022includes a plurality of glass beads 2022a, the plurality of glass beads2022a are dispersed in the polyester resin matrix 2021, and a pluralityof silver nanoparticles 2022b are distributed on an outer surface ofeach of the glass beads 2022a. Therefore, the antibacterial andantifungal polyester material 200 of the present embodiment can haveantibacterial and antifungal capabilities through the introduction ofthe functional polyester masterbatches 202.

In more detail, since the plurality of silver nanoparticles 2022b aredispersed on the outer surface of each of the glass beads 2022a, theplurality of silver nanoparticles 2022b do not agglomerate with eachother, and the plurality of silver nanoparticles 2022b can be dispersedon the outer surface of each of the glass beads 2022a in ananometer-scale size, thereby providing the antibacterial and antifungalcapabilities.

It is worth mentioning that the glass beads 2022a and the plurality ofsilver nanoparticles 2022b distributed on the outer surface thereof aredispersed in the polyester resin substrate material 201 through thefunctional polyester masterbatches 202. Therefore, the antibacterial andantifungal polyester material 200 includes the plurality of silvernanoparticles 2022 dispersed in nanometer-scale sizes, so that theantibacterial and antifungal polyester material 200 has antibacterialand antifungal capabilities.

In terms of content, based on a total weight of the antibacterial andantifungal polyester material being 100 wt %, a content of the polyesterresin substrate material 201 is preferably between 80 wt % and 98 wt %,and more preferably between 90 wt % and 98 wt %. Furthermore, a contentof the plurality of functional polyester masterbatches 202 is preferablybetween 2 wt % and 20 wt %, and more preferably between 2 wt % and 10 wt%.

Furthermore, in each of the functional polyester masterbatches 202, aweight ratio of the polyester resin matrix 2021 relative to theantibacterial and antifungal additive 2022 (including the glass beads2022a and the silver nanoparticles 2022b) preferably ranges from 70 to99:1 to 30, and more preferably ranges from 85 to 95:5 to 15. Overall, acontent of the plurality of silver nanoparticles 2022b in theantibacterial and antifungal polyester material 200 is preferablybetween 0.1 wt % and 5.0 wt %, and more preferably between 0.2 wt. % and2.0 wt %.

According to the above configuration, the antibacterial and antifungaladditive 2022 in the functional polyester masterbatches 202 can providesufficient antibacterial and antifungal effects in the polyestermaterial. If the content of the antibacterial and antifungal additive2022 is lower than the lower limit of the above-mentioned content, theconcentration of the silver nanoparticles 2022b may be insufficient,thereby failing to provide sufficient antibacterial and antifungaleffects. Conversely, if the content of the antibacterial and antifungaladditive 2022 is higher than the upper limit of the above-mentionedcontent, the concentration of the glass beads 2022a may be too high tobe uniformly dispersed in the polyester resin substrate material 201,and excessive glass beads 2022a may affect a molding effect of thepolyester material.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, in each of the glass beads2022a, the plurality of silver nanoparticles 2022b are distributed onthe outer surface of the glass beads 2022a through physical adsorption,but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

It is worth mentioning that, since the silver nanoparticles 2022b usethe glass beads 2022a as a carrier thereof and are dispersed on theouter surface of the glass beads 2022a in nanometer-scale sizes, thesilver nanoparticles 2022b do not easily agglomerate. In addition, whenthe functional polyester masterbatches 202 are dispersed in thepolyester resin substrate material 201 by means of melt extrusionmolding, the glass beads 2022a may be broken. However, most of thesilver nanoparticles 2022b will still be dispersed and adsorbed on theouter surface of the glass beads 2022a in nanometer-scale sizes, and thesilver nanoparticles 2022b will not agglomerate, so that the silvernanoparticles 2022b can still provide sufficient antibacterial andantifungal capabilities.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the antibacterial andantifungal polyester material 200, at least part of the plurality ofglass beads 2022a are distributed on a surface portion of the polyestermaterial 100, so that at least part of the plurality of silvernanoparticles 2022b are exposed to an external environment, and thepolyester material 100 can have of antibacterial and antifungalcapabilities.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the antibacterial andantifungal polyester material 200 can be extended to form an extendedpolyester material. It is worth mentioning that, after the antibacterialand antifungal polyester material 200 is extended, the glass beads 2022adistributed on the surface portion of the polyester material 100 canprotrude more from the surface portion of the polyester material 100, asshown in FIG. 3 . Accordingly, a quantity of the silver nanoparticles2022b exposed to the external environment can be increased, so that thecapabilities of antibacterial and antifungal of the polyester material200 can be more significant.

In terms of material selection, the polyester resin substrate material201 is the matrix material of the antibacterial and antifungal polyestermaterial 200, and the polyester resin substrate material 201 is obtainedby a condensation polymerization reaction of dibasic acid and diol orits derivatives. Furthermore, the polyester resin matrix 2021 in thefunctional polyester masterbatches 202 is also obtained by thecondensation polymerization reaction of dibasic acid and diol or itsderivatives.

It is worth mentioning that, as shown in FIG. 3 , the material of thepolyester resin substrate material 201 is substantially the same as thatof the polyester resin matrix 2021, so that the polyester resinsubstrate material 201 and the polyester resin matrix 2021 have goodcompatibility without significant boundaries.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, to maintain a hightransparency and a low haze of the antibacterial and antifungalpolyester material 200, the refractive indexes of different materialshave a matching relationship there-between.

For example, the polyester resin substrate material 201 has a firstrefractive index, the polyester resin matrix 2021 has a secondrefractive index, and each of the glass beads 2022a has a thirdrefractive index. The first refractive index is preferably between 1.55and 1.60, and more preferably between 1.57 and 1.59. Furthermore, thesecond refractive index is preferably between 95% and 105% of the firstrefractive index, and the third refractive index is preferably between95% and 105% of the first refractive index.

According to the above-mentioned matching relationship of the refractiveindexes of different materials, the antibacterial and antifungalpolyester material 200 can have high transparency and low haze.

For example, the antibacterial and antifungal polyester material 200preferably has a visible light transmittance of not less than 80%, andmore preferably not less than 90%. The antibacterial and antifungalpolyester material 200 preferably has a haze of not greater than 5%, andmore preferably not greater than 3%.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the polyester resin matrix2021 in each of the functional polyester masterbatches 202 ispolyethylene terephthalate (PET) with low crystallinity, and thecrystallinity of the polyester resin matrix 2021 is between 5% and 15%.

It is worth mentioning that, in a conventional art, an antibacterial andantifungal treatment on a surface of a material by a coating method or aspray method may enable the material to have excellent transparency.However, such products have poor durability and only work againstlimited types of bacteria. Furthermore, most of master-batch carriers ofan internal addition process are polypropylene (PP) and polybutyleneterephthalate (PBT), which have poor compatibility with polyestermaterials (i.e., PET), such that the product has poor transparency andextensibility.

Compared with the conventional art, the antibacterial and antifungalpolyester material 200 of the embodiment of the present disclosure usesthe polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with low crystallinity as themaster-batch carrier. The functional polyester masterbatches 202 can beprocessed by a twin-screw extruder to disperse the glass beads 2022athat has adsorbed the silver nanoparticles 2022b and to introduce PETpolyester material (i.e., the polyester resin substrate material 201)during material processing. Therefore, the antibacterial and antifungalpolyester material 200 simultaneously maintains excellent antibacterialand antifungal capabilities, visible light transmittance, andextensibility.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, specifications of the glassbeads 2022a have a preferred range. For example, in each of the glassbeads 2022a, a matrix material of the glass bead 2022a can be solubleglass powders, and a particle size of the glass bead 2022a is notgreater than 10 μm, and preferably between 3 μm and 10 μm. A density ofthe glass bead 2022a is between 2 g/cm³ and 3 g/cm³, and preferablybetween 2.3 g/cm³ and 2.8 g/cm³, and a heat-resistant temperature of theglass bead 2022a is not less than 500° C.

According to the above configuration, the glass beads 2022a can adsorb asufficient amount of silver nanoparticles 2022b to be dispersed into thepolyester resin matrix 2021. The glass beads 2022a can withstand a hightemperature and a high pressure of a twin-screw extrusion process, whilestill adsorbing the sufficient amount of silver nanoparticles 2022b, sothat the antibacterial and antifungal polyester material 200 hasantibacterial and antifungal capabilities.

In terms of antibacterial and antifungal capabilities, the antibacterialand antifungal additive has an antibacterial capability againstfollowing types of bacteria, including: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcusaureus, Pneumoniae bacillus, Salmonella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, anddrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

In addition, the antibacterial and antifungal additive has an antifungalcapability against following types of fungus, including: Aspergillusniger, Penicillium tetrapine, Chaetomium globosum, Gliocladium virens,and Aureobasidium pullulans.

In terms of antibacterial detection, the antibacterial and antifungalpolyester material 200 passes a test performed by SGS S.A. against thesix types of bacteria including: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcusaureus, Pneumoniae bacillus, Salmonella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, anddrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The antibacterial activity valuesR to the six types of bacteria are all greater than 2, which indicate anexcellent antibacterial effect. In terms of antifungal detection, theantibacterial and antifungal polyester material 200 passes a testperformed by SGS S.A. against the five types of fungi, includingAspergillus niger, Penicillium tetrapine, Chaetomium globosum,Gliocladium virens, and Aureobasidium pullulans. The grades for the fivetypes of fungal are all 0 grade (i.e., with no fungal growth), whichindicate an excellent antifungal effect.

It is worth mentioning that, in an embodiment of the present disclosurenot illustrated in the drawings, the antibacterial and antifungaladditive is directly dispersed in the polyester resin substratematerial. In other words, the antibacterial and antifungal additive isnot dispersed in the polyester resin substrate material through thefunctional polyester masterbatches, and the antibacterial and antifungaladditive is directly dispersed in the polyester resin substratematerial.

More specifically, the antibacterial and antifungal polyester materialof the present embodiment includes a polyester resin substrate materialand an antibacterial and antifungal additive. The antibacterial andantifungal additive includes a plurality of glass beads, the pluralityof glass beads are dispersed in the polyester resin substrate material,and a plurality of silver nanoparticles are distributed on an outersurface of each of the glass beads to enable the polyester material tohave capabilities of antibacterial and antifungal.

Second Embodiment

Referring to FIG. 4 , a second embodiment of the present disclosure alsoprovides an antibacterial and antifungal polyester laminated structureE′. The antibacterial and antifungal polyester laminated structure E′ ofthe present embodiment is substantially the same as the above-mentionedfirst embodiment. The difference is that the antibacterial andantifungal polyester laminated structure E′ of the present embodiment isa double laminated structure instead of a sandwich structure.

Specifically, the antibacterial and antifungal polyester laminatedstructure E′ of the present embodiment includes a main structure supportlayer B and an antibacterial and antifungal functional layer A. The mainstructure support layer B has two side surfaces opposite to each other.The antibacterial and antifungal functional layer A is formed on one ofthe two side surfaces of the main structure support layer B.

The main structure support layer B is formed of an impact-resistantpolyester material, and the main structure support layer B enables anentirety of the polyester laminated structure E′ to have animpact-resistant strength of not less than 20 kg-cm/cm.

The antibacterial and antifungal functional layer A is formed of anantibacterial and antifungal polyester material, the antibacterial andantifungal polyester material includes an antibacterial and antifungaladditive, and the antibacterial and antifungal additive includes aplurality of glass beads. The plurality of glass beads are dispersed inthe antibacterial and antifungal functional layer, a plurality of silvernanoparticles are distributed on an outer surface of each of the glassbeads, and the antibacterial and antifungal additive enables theantibacterial and antifungal functional layer A to have antibacterialand antifungal capabilities.

Beneficial Effects of the Embodiments

In conclusion, the antibacterial and antifungal polyester laminatedstructure of the present disclosure can be applied to products withrequirements for antibacterial, antifungal and impact resistancecapabilities, such as luggage cases, food trays, and freezer trays, andso on, by virtue of “the surface layer of the polyester laminatedstructure being an antibacterial and antifungal functional layer withantibacterial and antifungal capabilities, and the inner layer of thepolyester laminated structure being a main structure support layer withsupporting ability” and “the main structure support layer being formedof an impact-resistant polyester material, and the main structuresupport layer enabling an entirety of the polyester laminated structureto have an impact-resistant strength of not less than 20 kg-cm/cm” and“each of the antibacterial and antifungal functional layers being formedof an antibacterial and antifungal polyester material, and theantibacterial and antifungal polyester material enabling the surfacelayer of the polyester laminated structure to have antibacterial andantifungal capabilities”.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosurehas been presented only for the purposes of illustration and descriptionand is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to theprecise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possiblein light of the above teaching.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain theprinciples of the disclosure and their practical application so as toenable others skilled in the art to utilize the disclosure and variousembodiments and with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosurepertains without departing from its spirit and scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. An antibacterial and antifungal polyesterlaminated structure, comprising: a main structure support layer havingtwo side surfaces opposite to each other; wherein the main structuresupport layer is formed of an impact-resistant polyester material, andthe main structure support layer enables the polyester laminatedstructure to have an impact-resistant strength of greater than or equalto 20 kg-cm/cm; and two antibacterial and antifungal functional layersbeing respectively formed on the two side surfaces of the main structuresupport layer; wherein each of the antibacterial and antifungalfunctional layers is formed of an antibacterial and antifungal polyestermaterial, the antibacterial and antifungal polyester material includesan antibacterial and antifungal additive, the antibacterial andantifungal additive includes a plurality of glass beads, the pluralityof glass beads being dispersed in the antibacterial and antifungalfunctional layers, and wherein a plurality of silver nanoparticles aredistributed on an outer surface of each of the glass beads, and theantibacterial and antifungal additive enables the antibacterial andantifungal functional layers to have antibacterial and antifungalcapabilities.
 2. The antibacterial and antifungal polyester laminatedstructure according to claim 1, wherein the main structure support layerand the two antibacterial and antifungal functional layers are formedinto an antibacterial and antifungal polyester sheet material having asandwich structure by co-extrusion; wherein a thickness of the mainstructure support layer is greater than a thickness of each of theantibacterial and antifungal functional layers, the thickness of themain structure support layer is between 80 μm and 4,000 μm, and thethickness of each of the antibacterial and antifungal functional layersis between 10 μm and 200 μm.
 3. The antibacterial and antifungalpolyester laminated structure according to claim 1, wherein, in the mainstructure support layer, the impact-resistant polyester materialincludes: a polyester resin matrix material; a toughening agentdispersed in the polyester resin matrix material; wherein the tougheningagent is a polyolefin elastomer (POE); and a compatibilizing agentdispersed in the polyester resin matrix material; wherein thecompatibilizing agent is configured to assist in increasing acompatibility between the toughening agent and the polyester resinmatrix material; wherein the compatibilizing agent is configured toassist in dispersion of the toughening agent having a particle sizebetween 0.5 μm and 1.5 μm into the polyester resin matrix material, sothat the impact-resistant polyester material has the impact-resistantstrength of not less than 20 kg-cm/cm.
 4. The antibacterial andantifungal polyester laminated structure according to claim 3, wherein,in the main structure support layer, the compatibilizing agent is atleast one of a polyolefin elastomer grafted with glycidyl methacrylate(POE-g-GMA) and a polyolefin elastomer grafted with maleic anhydride(POE-g-MAH).
 5. The antibacterial and antifungal polyester laminatedstructure according to claim 3, wherein, based on a total weight of theimpact-resistant polyester material being 100 wt %, a content of thepolyester resin matrix material is between 70 wt % and 95 wt %, acontent of the toughening agent is between 5 wt % and 15 wt %, and acontent of the compatibilizing agent is between 2 wt % and 15 wt %;wherein the content of the toughening agent is not less than the contentof the compatibilizing agent, and a weight ratio of the toughening agentrelative to the compatibilizing agent ranges from 1:1 to 4:1.
 6. Theantibacterial and antifungal polyester laminated structure according toclaim 3, wherein a molecular structure of the toughening agent isentirely polyolefin elastomer, the compatibilizing agent is a polyolefinelastomer grafted with glycidyl methacrylate (POE-g-GMA), a molecularstructure of the compatibilizing agent has a main chain and a side chainmelt-grafted with the main chain, the main chain is the polyolefinelastomer, and the side chain is the glycidyl methacrylate (GMA);wherein the glycidyl methacrylate carries out a ring-opening reactionduring a mixing process, and an epoxy group in the glycidyl methacrylatechemically reacts with an ester group in a molecular structure of thepolyester resin matrix material after the ring-opening reaction.
 7. Theantibacterial and antifungal polyester laminated structure according toclaim 1, wherein, in each of the antibacterial and antifungal functionallayers, the antibacterial and antifungal polyester material furtherincludes: a polyester resin substrate material; and a plurality offunctional polyester masterbatches; wherein the plurality of functionalpolyester masterbatches are dispersed in the polyester resin substratematerial by melt extrusion molding; wherein each of the functionalpolyester masterbatches includes a polyester resin matrix and theantibacterial and antifungal additive, and the plurality of glass beadsof the antibacterial and antifungal additive are dispersed in thepolyester resin matrix.
 8. The antibacterial and antifungal polyesterlaminated structure according to claim 7, wherein, based on a totalweight of the antibacterial and antifungal polyester material being 100wt %, a content of the polyester resin substrate material is between 80wt % and 98 wt %, and a content of the plurality of functional polyestermasterbatches is between 2 wt % and 20 wt %; wherein, in each of thefunctional polyester masterbatches, a weight ratio of the polyesterresin matrix relative to the antibacterial and antifungal additiveranges from 70 to 99: 1 to
 30. 9. The antibacterial and antifungalpolyester laminated structure according to claim 7, wherein theantibacterial and antifungal polyester laminated structure is formedinto an extended polyester material through an extension process;wherein, in each of the antibacterial and antifungal functional layers,at least part of the plurality of glass beads are distributed on asurface portion of the antibacterial and antifungal functional layer, sothat at least part of the plurality of silver nanoparticles are exposedto an outside environment, and the antibacterial and antifungalfunctional layer have antibacterial and antifungal capabilities.
 10. Theantibacterial and antifungal polyester laminated structure according toclaim 7, wherein the polyester resin substrate material is polyethyleneterephthalate, and in each of the functional polyester masterbatches,the polyester resin matrix is polyethylene terephthalate; wherein thepolyester resin substrate material has a first refractive index, thepolyester resin matrix has a second refractive index, and each of theglass beads has a third refractive index; wherein the first refractiveindex is between 1.55 and 1.60, the second refractive index is between95% and 105% of the first refractive index, and the third refractiveindex is between 95% and 105% of the first refractive index.
 11. Theantibacterial and antifungal polyester laminated structure according toclaim 7, wherein, in each of the glass beads, a matrix material of theglass bead is soluble glass powder, a particle size of the glass bead isnot greater than 10 μm, a density of the glass bead is between 2 g/cm³and 3 g/cm³, and a heat-resistant temperature of the glass beads is notless than 500° C.
 12. The antibacterial and antifungal polyesterlaminated structure according to claim 7, wherein the antibacterial andantifungal additive has an antibacterial capability against followingtypes of bacteria, including: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus,Bacillus pneumoniae, Salmonella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, anddrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; wherein the antibacterial andantifungal additive has an antifungal capability against following typesof fungi, including: Aspergillus niger, Penicillium tetrapine,Chaetomium globosum, Gliocladium virens, and Aureobasidium pullulans.13. The antibacterial and antifungal polyester laminated structureaccording to claim 1, wherein a matrix material of the main structuresupport layer is polyethylene terephthalate, and a matrix material ofeach of the antibacterial and antifungal functional layers ispolyethylene terephthalate.
 14. An antibacterial and antifungalpolyester laminated structure, comprising: a main structure supportlayer having two side surfaces opposite to each other; wherein the mainstructure support layer is formed of an impact-resistant polyestermaterial, and the main structure support layer enables the polyesterlaminated structure to have an impact-resistant strength of not lessthan 20 kg-cm/cm; and an antibacterial and antifungal functional layerbeing formed on one of the two side surfaces of the main structuresupport layer; wherein the antibacterial and antifungal functional layeris formed of an antibacterial and antifungal polyester material, theantibacterial and antifungal polyester material includes anantibacterial and antifungal additive, the antibacterial and antifungaladditive includes a plurality of glass beads, the plurality of glassbeads are dispersed in the antibacterial and antifungal functionallayer, a plurality of silver nanoparticles are distributed on an outersurface of each of the glass beads, and the antibacterial and antifungaladditive enables the antibacterial and antifungal functional layer tohave antibacterial and antifungal capabilities.